Alyn Ware

Alyn (Alan) Ware (born 21 March 1962) is a New Zealand peace educator and campaigner in the areas of peace, non-violence, nuclear abolition, international law, women's rights, children's rights and the environment. He has served as the Global Coordinator for Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament since it was founded in 2002.

Alyn Ware
Alyn Ware in 2009.
Born (1962-03-21) 21 March 1962
NationalityNew Zealand
Alma materUniversity of Waikato
OccupationPeace educator and campaigner
OrganizationParliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament
Awards

His previous positions include Director of Aotearoa Lawyers for Peace, Executive Director of the Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy (USA), Director of the Peace Foundation Schools Outreach Programme for the UN Decade for a Culture of Peace, and Founding Director of the Mobile Peace Van.

Ware has won a number of awards including the Right Livelihood Award (Sweden), United Nations International Year for Peace Award (New Zealand), Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Award (New Zealand), Alliance for Nuclear Accountability Award (USA) and Tom Perry Peace Award (Canada).

Peace education

Ware trained in early childhood education at the University of Waikato (he received the university's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2010) and taught in kindergartens prior to establishing the Mobile Peace Van, which toured schools leading classes and training teachers in conflict resolution and other aspects of peace education.[1] He co-founded Our Planet in Every Classroom (a peace and environmental education program that reached nearly 1000 classrooms) and was a member of the government advisory body that developed the Peace Studies Guidelines that became part of the New Zealand school curriculum.[2] He co-founded the Cool Schools Peer Mediation Programme which has been implemented in nearly 1/3 of New Zealand schools. For his early peace education work, Ware was awarded the United Nations International Year of Peace (New Zealand) Award in 1986.

Nuclear abolition

Ware was active in the 1980s campaign to ban nuclear weapons from New Zealand.[3] He was founder of the Hamilton Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Committee. In 1992 he moved to New York to coordinate an effort at the United Nations to achieve a ruling from the International Court of Justice on the illegality of nuclear weapons (achieved in 1996).[4]

In 1995 he co-founded the Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons – which has grown to include more than 2000 organizations in over 90 countries. He continues to serve on its international Coordinating Committee. Ware also serves on the coordinating board of the Middle Powers Initiative which he helped found in 1998. A key focus for Ware has been the promotion of a nuclear weapons convention – a global treaty to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons.[5]

Ware has been a leader in UN resolutions adopted on this issue, drafting a Model Nuclear Weapons Convention which has been circulated by the UN Secretary-General, and building support for this in parliaments and civil society.[6]

In 2010 he founded the Nuclear Abolition Forum, a website and periodical to facilitate dialogue on the process to achieve and sustain a nuclear-weapons-free world. In 2012 he co-founded the Basel Peace Office.

International law – prevention of war

Ware is an advocate for the use of legal and political mechanisms to resolve conflicts and prevent war.[7] In 1990 he established the Gulf Peace Team office in New York and lobbied the UN Security Council on peaceful solutions to the Gulf Crisis.[8]

In 1991 he worked for the World Federalist Movement monitoring developments at the UN on the proposed International Criminal Court in preparation for the launch of the Coalition for an International Criminal Court (CICC) - which was successful in establishing the ICC. Ware led the CICC Working Group on Weapons Systems during the ICC (Rome Statute) negotiations.[9] Ware has served as Vice-President of International Peace Bureau, a Nobel Peace Laureate organisation working for peace, war prevention and disarmament for development.

Non-violence – prevention of violence against women and children

Ware educates and campaigns in support of non-violence and the rights of women and children, including the right to be free from sexual, physical or emotional violence.[10]

He was board member of Safety Inc: The Clothesline Project (New York) from 1994–99, is active in White Ribbon Day and has served on the advisory board of Kids Rights International. He was New Zealand Coordinator for the World March for Peace and Nonviolence (2009) and has served on the International Board of Peace Brigades International, which uses non-violent accompaniment to protect human rights advocates in civil conflicts. He also helped establish the Global Nonviolent Peaceforce.[11]

Indigenous Rights and anti-racism

Ware is active in anti-racism and indigenous rights movements in New Zealand and internationally, including in the issues of nuclear weapons and energy issues.[12]

He was a non-violence trainer for the anti-Springbok Tour protests (1981), was a member of Project Waitangi (an anti-racism education program), was active in the campaign to secure support from New Zealand for the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and has served as an adviser to the American Indian Law Alliance on international legal remedies for violation of treaties between States and Indigenous nations. Ware's daughter is indigenous.

Environment and animal rights

Ware is a member of the World Future Council – a group of 50 eminent people advancing exemplary policy to protect the environment for future generations. Since 1980 he has been vegetarian as part of his respect for animal rights and the environment.[13]

Sports and peace

Ware was a member of the 2011 Peace and Sport New York marathon team which also included Tegla Loroupe (first African women to win the NY marathon) and Wilson Kipketer (triple 800m world Champion). He runs a Peace and Sport program for the Basel Peace Office at the University of Basel.[14]

See also

References
  1. "Top University of Waikato award for peace activist". 1 September 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
  2. "Peace Education in Schools" (PDF). New Zealand Ministry of Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  3. Dewes, Kate; Ware, Alyn. "Aotearoa / New Zealand: From Nuclear Ally to Pacific Peacemaker". Nihon University, Japan. Retrieved 19 November 2004.
  4. "Lobbying for Nuclear Disarmament by Alyn Ware, in Peace is Possible, edited by Fredrik S. Heffermehl". International Peace Bureau, Geneva, Switzerland. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  5. "Securing our Survival: The Case for a Nuclear Weapons Convention, by Merav Datan, Felicity Hill, Juergen Scheffran and Alyn Ware". International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms, International Network of Engineers and Scientists Against Proliferation and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.
  6. "Report of the Abolition 2000 Session on Achieving a Global Treaty to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, by Alyn Ware and Susi Snyder" (PDF). Abolition 2000 Nuclear Weapons Convention Working Group, New York.
  7. "Rule of Force or Rule of Law? Legal Responses to Nuclear Threats from Terrorism, Proliferation, and War, by Alyn Ware" (PDF). Seattle Journal for Social Justice. Fall–Winter 2003.
  8. War and peace in the Gulf : testimonies of the Gulf Peace Team by Bela Bhatia; Jean Drèze; Kathy Kelly; Noam Chomsky. Gulf Peace Team, Nottingham : Spokesman. 2001. ISBN 9780851246406.
  9. The International Criminal Court: A Global Civil Society Achievement, By Marlies Glasius. Routledge. 29 March 2006. pp. 100–101. ISBN 9781134315673.
  10. "Turning the Tables: Can us men really understand sexual violence against women? Alyn Ware". Pressenza. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  11. Ware, Alyn. "War's a-brewing. Who ya gunna to call? Nonviolent Peaceforce!". Peaceworks. Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  12. "Indigenous sovereignty and nuclear forces: prospects for a nuclear-free Arctic, Alyn Ware" (PDF). Disarmament and Security Centre, Christchurch. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  13. "Now's the time for a diet change, Alyn Ware" (PDF). Pacific Ecologist. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  14. "Sports and Peace – Bridge-builder or Oxymoron? by Alyn Ware". Global Campaign for Peace Education. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
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